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Government to ban Idul Fitri holiday exodus again over pandemic
Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, told a press conference that the ban will be imposed on all from May 6 to 17.
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Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy (left) and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin present in a press conference at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, talking about the annulment of the 5-days school plan. (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
T
he government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo decided Friday to ban the public from leaving urban areas for their hometowns during the Idul Fitri holiday in May to reduce the risks of coronavirus transmission.
Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, told a press conference that the ban will be imposed on all from May 6 to 17.
Muhadjir said past experience has shown that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases always increased following a long holiday.
Ordinarily, many Indonesians hit the road or fly a few days before the holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month. The Idul Fitri this year falls on May 13 and 14.
Last year, the government imposed such a ban on civil servants, military personnel, police officers and workers at state-owned enterprises, but only advised others not to go back to their hometowns.
Last year, the government imposed a ban on domestic air and sea travel at the start of Ramadan to contain the outbreak but has since eased some of those restrictions, prompting confusion and criticism among civil society groups.
Police set up checkpoints on main roads to try and prevent people from leaving the capital, the epicentre for COVID-19 in the archipelago of more than 260 million people.
Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organizations group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), issued a fatwa this week urging Muslims to pray at home over the holidays rather than congregate in mosques.
